The complaint was filed by the group Residents for Sane Trash Solutions in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. It alleges that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers failed in its legal responsibility to protect the public’s interest when it issued the permit and that the city didn’t follow its own rules on placement of waste transfer stations.

The group wants the Court to annul the permit and prevent the city from working on the facility.

A spokeswoman with the city’s Law Department said the center is “lawful and well-considered, and it has withstood multiple legal challenges.” A spokesman for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers declined to comment on ongoing litigation.

The proposed center has drawn outrage from some Upper East Side residents who say it would hurt their quality of life.

“We feel as if the city and the Army Corps have backed us into a corner,” said Jed Garfield, a Yorkville resident and president of Residents for Sane Trash Solutions.